Birmingham v Stoke City: play-off chase meets top-half push | OneFootball

Birmingham City host Stoke City in the Championship on Saturday, 24 January 2026 at St Andrew's, with the visitors eyeing the play-off picture and the hosts looking to push into the top half.

Birmingham City welcome Stoke City sitting 13th against 8th, and the reverse fixture finished 1-0 to the visitors in September. Recent momentum is positive on both sides.

Birmingham are unbeaten in three since New Year's Day, with wins over Coventry and at Sheffield Wednesday plus a draw at Swansea. Stoke had three straight wins and a draw before Wednesday's loss to Middlesbrough, including away victories at Hull and Norwich.

The hosts are without Jack Robinson, Demarai Gray, Ethan Laird, Lee Buchanan and Alexander William Cochrane. The visitors list Ben Gibson, Lewis Baker and Robert Bozenik as injured, with goalkeepers Gavin Bazunu and Viktor Johansson also sidelined, alongside Junior Tchamadeu and Divin Mubama.

Birmingham have averaged 54% possession and delivered significant width, attempting 459 open play crosses with 18.08% accuracy. Jay Stansfield, on eight league goals (per the season charts), could be the focal point. Stoke's shape has been organised, with 11 clean sheets and just 25 conceded. They have hit the target with 50.22% of their attempts, and Sorba Thomas's nine league goals and six assists underline his threat.

A home win would move Birmingham to 41 points and could lift them towards the top half. Victory for Stoke would take them to 44 points and could nudge them into the play-off places, strengthening their promotion bid.